DNSChanger Malware
Could your computer or networking equipment be one of more than 10,000 that are still affected by the “DNSChanger” malware from last year?
Over 10,000 users in Australia and New Zealand could potentially be infected and be left with no access to the Internet after 9th July 2012.
Initially these dodgy DNS servers were going to be shut-off on 8th March, but that deadline has since been extended to 9th July 2012.
After this date, if your computer or network equipment is infected you may not be able to access the Internet.
How to check if your computer is affected by DNSChanger malware
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) recently launched a very simple website that enables you to check if the computer you’re using is relying on the DNSChanger DNS servers.
You used to be able visit the site at: , but it no longer exists.
So what happens when your computer is configured to use a malicious or untrusted DNS server?
Well for example, you might type “www.google.com.au” into your web browser and instead of connecting to Google, your computer could connect to somewhere completely different – or to a computer pretending to be Google!
As you now may appreciate, it is a very effective means of attack and the ramifications of this type of attack can be very serious.
Internet banking sites and other previously trusted websites could be faked, right down to the address in the browser address bar.
